Parasitic Plants Major Problem to Food Crops

In the Plant Pathology special issue, the News articles and Reviews discuss such seed plant pathogens as bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, and insects (22 Jun., pp. 2269-2289). Strikingly absent from the discussion topics were parasitic angiosperms, plant pathogens that are plants themselves. Such parasitic plants are present in most terrestrial ecosystems, but those feeding on food crops are particularly infamous ([1][1]). Species of the root parasitic genera Striga and Orobanche are notorious for the devastation they cause in less developed countries. Striga is estimated to infest more than two-thirds of the 73 million hectares in cereals and legumes in Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting the daily lives of some 300 million Africans in 25 countries ([2][2]). Orobanche destroys a broad spectrum of host crops, including legumes, vegetables, and sunflowers, in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. Although developed countries have not escaped the ravages of parasitic plants—dwarf mistletoe ( Arceuthobium spp.) destroy up to 3.2 billion board feet of lumber per year in western U.S. forests ([3][3])—lesser developed countries are most affected. The International Parasitic Plant Society ( ) was inaugurated this year to promote the study of parasitic plants toward the aim of ultimately enhancing world food security. Funding research aimed at controlling parasitic weeds falls outside the agenda of most federal agencies, so it has largely been international agencies and foundations, notably the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Rockefeller Foundation, that pay for these studies. Their efforts have resulted in significant advances toward ameliorating the Striga problem, most notably through breeding efforts for developing host resistance. With the emergence of genomic data from model species such as Arabidopsis and rice, novel approaches for controlling these pests can be envisioned. But the first step is bringing the problem to light. 1. [↵][4]1. O. C. Maloy, 2. T. D. Murray 1. L. J. Musselman , in The Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology, O. C. Maloy, T. D. Murray, Eds. (Wiley, New York, 2001), pp. 730-732. 2. [↵][5] Second General Workshop of the Pan African Striga Control Network, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, 23 to 29 June 1991 (Food and Agricultural Organization for the United Nations, Regional Office for Africa, Pan African Striga Control Network, Accra, Ghana, 1991). 3. [↵][6]1. D. W. Johnson, 2. F. G. Hawksworth, 3. D. B. Drummond , Plant Dis. 65, 437 (1981). [OpenUrl][7] [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [6]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [7]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPlant%2BDis.%26rft.volume%253D65%26rft.spage%253D437%26rft.atitle%253DPLANT%2BDIS%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx